1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to training and mission simulation systems, and particularly to a method and system for generating a reconfigurable terrain and culture data base of a simulated environment.
2. Description of Related Art
Flight simulation has proved to be an effective method for crew and mission training. An integral component of flight simulation is the out-of-the-window visual scene. The creation of such a visual database typically begins with real-world source data that has been derived from satellite imagery, U.S. Geological Survey information or a mapping agency. However, in order to comply with visual system requirements, changes to this data is generally made during database production. In this regard, it should be appreciated that the training crew needs to be presented with as many different situations as possible, and these situations may be introduced through a non-real-world or customized visual database which is tailor made for the desired training exercise or through a close approximate to the real-world. Accordingly, it is often necessary to add features to the visual database that do not appear in the real-world area being simulated or modify existing features.
While a specific simulation system may be very effective for a particular training application, it should also be appreciated that there are many diverse situations where a simulation system would be desirable. However, if the simulation system has to be redesigned for each new project or set of training exercises, then substantial costs will result and valuable time will be lost. Nevertheless, in order to maximize the training benefit, an accurate representation of a particular visual database is necessary. Accordingly, there is a need for a technique for producing visual databases that not only provide an exact depiction of the input data, but a technique which will also enable the simulation system to be configured for a variety of training applications.